New Mexico, a place defined by a history of grand conflicts, conquistadores, Pueblo warriors, and nuclear scientists, will celebrate its state centennial in 2012. What better time for a collection of forgotten tales that recounts the adventures and exploits of priests, soldiers, witches, and politicians, who carved out a living in the harsh frontier. Ellen will introduce the reader to a cross-dressing Buffalo Soldier, a French trailblazer who opened a road from Santa Fe to Texas, an American spy who became a Mexican general, a Mexican raised by the Navajo who helped round up the Din for removal, and a governor whose head was removed and used as a football. Spanning from the 17th century to World War II, these stories are drawn from Native oral histories as well as the state's written records, and provide a sampling of New Mexico's colorful past.

Ellen Dornan loves learning about the rich heritage of the American West, particularly the scoundrels, misfits and visionaries who make history so interesting. In commemoration of New Mexico's centennial of statehood, Ms. Dornan wrote Forgotten Tales of New Mexico and as a cultural resources interpreter specializing in new media, she developed the the online Centennial Atlas of Historic New Mexico Maps (atlas.nmhum.org).